Panasonic Plasma vs. Sony LCD Please help. i've narrowed my choices down to these two TVs: 1.) Panasonic PH46PZ85U [plasma] and 2.) Sony KDL46Z4100B [LCD]. i've been flipping back and forth for three months now trying to decide between these two TVs. i've done tons of research and have been to several stores looking at these two TVs and i just can't make up my mind. i,ve been to consumer reports.com and cnet.com. both had reviews for the Panasonic but little or no information on the Sony. i like to watch lots of DVD movies, sports (football and NASCAR mostly) and primetime standard cable TV. i plan on buying a Blue-Ray player before christmas. i have an Onkyo Integra receiver and 6 disc CD changer, Sony DVD player and DVR DVD recorder. i would love to here your comments.thank you,Lee Panasonic Plasma vs. Sony LCD Please help. i've narrowed my choices down to these two TVs: 1.) Panasonic PH46PZ85U [plasma] and 2.) Sony KDL46Z4100B [LCD]. i've been flipping back and... » Read More Panasonic Plasma vs. Sony LCD Please help. i've narrowed my choices down to these two TVs: 1.) Panasonic PH46PZ85U [plasma] and 2.) Sony KDL46Z4100B [LCD]. i've been flipping back and forth for three months now trying to decide between these two TVs. i've done tons of research and have been to several stores looking at these two TVs and i just can't make up my mind. i,ve been to consumer reports.com and cnet.com. both had reviews for the Panasonic but little or no information on the Sony. i like to watch lots of DVD movies, sports (football and NASCAR mostly) and primetime standard cable TV. i plan on buying a Blue-Ray player before christmas. i have an Onkyo Integra receiver and 6 disc CD changer, Sony DVD player and DVR DVD recorder. i would love to here your comments.thank you,Lee « Show Less
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I don't know if you made your purchase yet or not, but I'd check out the difference in glare/reflections from the screens. I have heard the Sony has a non-glare screen, but most plasmas have a glass screen that reflects background light and can be distracting.
1371392
Honestly, these comparisons depend on the taste of each one of us. A few years ago I had plasma TV from Sony, after it came time to buy the new Sony's xbr and now I'm preferring the new more expensive models from Samsung.
1458014
With my Panasonic plasmas (42" and 50"), which are 2006 and 2007 models, I have found the upscaling very good. In fact, it's hard to get around them, since these plasmas have native resolutions that no DVD player can match (expect for 1080p models). 720p on both 42" and 50" models is not quite true 720p (it's acutally 768p), so no matter what, the Panasonic will be doing some upscaling. As far as medium DVD players and DVD upscalers for around $100 and below, I have seen very little difference. Even compared to my 4 year old Sony 480p player. I would say HDMI provides a smidge better detail, but it's not dramatic by any means. I haven't tried the up-market upscalers (Oppo, Reon chip), so I can't comment on them, but I doubt the difference would be dramatic--the Panasonic just has to do too much upscaling on it's own, regardless of what signal you send to it... My brother says his 700U 1080p also has very little difference with new upscaling DVD players as opposed to his older 480p player, so it looks like Panasonic's upscaling chips on these TV's are indeed rather good...
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I honestly am not all that interested in Smart TV as much as I am in getting the best picture quality for my own media collection. I will say that my 7600 chugs under the weight of the apps and that the 8600 with dual core would work much better. I also have a G2 which is very snappy due to having a dual core but has a lower refresh rate and no local dimming or control over tru motion. Personally I would buy the 9600 if it had NO apps at all and just did 3D and 1080p 2D. I have tried Netflix with many devices and have never been very impressed with the stream they give you. Vudu however has a much better codec and looks reasonably well, in many cases even better than my Fios HD DVR service gives me. I am hoping within the next 2 to 3 years OLED will be down in my upper price range. When that happens I will jump on it and also they will have ironed out any bugs that system may have for early adopters. What I am hoping is OLED will be as good or better than my Sony 34 inch HD CRT , only with higher resolution and perfect geometry. For motion, contrast levels and viewing angle, nothing STILL can beat the last Sony Trinitrons that rolled off the line. I have one and my only complaint is poor geometry. Good luck with whichever model you decide on. Cheers! Marty G
168408
Did you go with the TX-SR606? I got it a few months ago and love it. It's a bit large but it handles all audio formats, so I'm happy with it. With HDMI cables (as with speaker cables) name brand means nothing. You will save a bundle if you just go with the cheapest ones you can find. Best Buy tries to sell the Monster brand HDMI cables for a hundred bucks or more. That is robbery. I got my three Belkin HDMI cables at Target for $40 each and I paid too much. Just get anything you see that is version 1.3 or better. As far as Blu-Ray goes, the PS3 is the best thing out there. It's a bit expensive though. So if you're trying to save some money, I have seen some good reviews for the Sony BD-S350. The DMP-BD55K looks nice too, as does the Samsung P2500. When it comes to deciding which one to buy, it all boils down to cost vs. benefit.
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I Just bought the panasonic last week and therefore may be biased. I have watched the plasma market for five years now and I belive panasonic is the true leader. In general I would choose overall quality versus the number of "features"---or perhaps novelties. but if they are truly features you want and will use then that may be what you need.
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Bill, Only because you asked, I tried four different screens -- a 42" plasma flatscreen, a 42" lcd flatscreen, a regular old-style TV and an lcd computer monitor. The old-style TV, I wasn't surprised, was "grainy," to use an old-fashioned term. The plasma was disappointing. The particular model I own didn't allow me to shrink the video to its natural size, so the picture was blown up edge to edge and that caused the picture to degrade. (DVDs on that TV are great, by the way.) Your plasma might operate differently and therefore, offer better results. The lcd TV allowed viewing the videos at natural (large) size, best quality of all, although even full size it looked great. And the computer monitor was great, too. If your potential gift recipient is a casual videographer as most of us are, they won't be disappointed. Fancy themselves as the next Baz Luhrmann and the Flip will promptly find itself on the return pile. I will post these results to the review I already made in case it's of interest to others. Good luck, Bill!
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I went today to look at HDtv's. I saw both the 46XBR4 and the 3000W and another 3000? Sony. All I can say is that by far the XBR4 was crisper and brighter, it looked more like reality. They had ESPN-HD feed on from Direct-TV. Is the difference worth the price, that's something you have to decide. Go look at them, I saw them at CC. I actually spent a good hour in a recliner they had setup and just watched the 46XBR4 comparing it to the sets around it. This is the one I'm getting, it was simply the best picture constantly, even better than models bigger in size with 1080p. It really stood out in the finer details when next to the other sets. I went today to look at HDtv's. I saw both the 46XBR4 and the 3000W and another 3000? Sony. All I can say is that by far the XBR4 was crisper and brighter, it looked more like reality. They had ESPN-HD feed on from Direct-TV. Is the difference worth the price, that's something you have to decide. Go look at them, I saw them at CC. I actually spent a good hour in a recliner they had setup and just watched the 46XBR4 comparing it to the sets around it. This is the one I'm getting, it was simply the best picture constantly, even better than models bigger in size with 1080p. It really stood out... » Read More I went today to look at HDtv's. I saw both the 46XBR4 and the 3000W and another 3000? Sony. All I can say is that by far the XBR4 was crisper and brighter, it looked more like reality. They had ESPN-HD feed on from Direct-TV. Is the difference worth the price, that's something you have to decide. Go look at them, I saw them at CC. I actually spent a good hour in a recliner they had setup and just watched the 46XBR4 comparing it to the sets around it. This is the one I'm getting, it was simply the best picture constantly, even better than models bigger in size with 1080p. It really stood out in the finer details when next to the other sets. « Show Less
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Stay away from Abe. They are dishonest and will rip you off. Better to buy it from a legitimate retailer or better yet wait a little while and see if prices will drop more. Since the new panasonic plasmas were announced last week this line will get replaced very soon.
1908157
I was down to the same two. I found the sony for the same price as the samsung and went for it. I think I made the right choice of the two. I only have Comcast Digital due to them not offering HD in my area. I think the picture is great with DVD's and good if not very good with SD Cable. Some of the reviews I saw did not like the sound but I think it sounds very good without external speakers. My only complaint is the blur on fast moving sporting events. I hope it improves when I get HD but I can live with it. If I had the money I would have went for the 120 MHZ on the sony xbr or samsung 4071 but could not swallow a $2000 nut for a TV. I don't think you can wrong, when I have a good signal the picture looks great. I have only had the TV for 3 weeks but find myself watching a PBS show on birds flying around for hours. I looked for 6 months before I bought the KDL-40V3000, my wife asked me what I was going to do with all my free time. I told her I was going to watch it! FYI: I bought it at Circuit City for $1299 on sale and received an additional 10% off discount from the entertainment book. Good Luck
508175
I own the panasonic 54 inch vt25 but just from looking at the store's display models, the sony is a superior tv. It displays less cross-talk, deeper blacks, and there is (to me) by far more pop in the 3d. what bothered me most about the samsung led 3dtvs is how the image feels very "wet" or extremely glossy when viewing 3d content. I didnt get that effect when viewing the sony led. Thats my two cents. cnet reviewed the tv and compares it to the sammy and panny in a brief article herehttp://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20009377-1.html?tag=hotTopicsBody.1
183317
My big issue is all the negative discussion on the 750 "Halo" - light leak around the edges.Is this gone on the 850/860? The 850 is slightly cheaper at AZ, only because shippingis free. If the 750 really is a fine tv and the halo is all over statement, then thebetter sound actually helps me. Appreciate suggestions.
1720451
Hello I own the p50st30 and am an avid gamer, and I also ran the slides as well for the first 100 hours, I wouldn't even say that is necessary, but I am overly cautious when it comes to expensive toys and investments. Burn-in was a problem with some plasmas in the early 2000's after hours and hours of static images being displayed, but technology has advanced so much and panasonic has especially made an effort to fix this that I wouldn't even think twice about burn in. My friend owns a 2008 panasonic plasma and a few times he will see residual images faintly from long gaming sessions that dissapear instantly when he turns it back on or changes the screen, it also had some white slides that came with the tv settings that could be run to eliminate any apparent "burn in". Plasma offer much better picture quality at a much better value than led or lcd, it is too bad that soo many people have been scared off by burn-in stories from early generations of plasmas, they are truly excellent tvs. I would definately stick with the st30 over an LCD you wont regret it.
185080
Has Panasonic replaced the th-50pz800u TV now? Or are they about to replace it? I do not understand why Amazon no longer stocks it. I have read many rave reviews of this particular set and I planned to buy one this week. Did I wait too long and it is now out of production and being replaced with a new 2009 model? If so can I be sure the new replacement model will be as good or better than the panasonic th-50pz800u?
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4K TVs by contrast are resolution enhanced but rely on the same LCD front panel (twisting crystals) with a backlight source (LED). While there have been incredible improvements in LED TV black levels, they still don't match the best plasma TVs, which is one of the biggest factors in a superior picture. Plasma TVs have a big enthusiast following. Look up articles about the Pioneer Kuro. Look up how a lot of those Pioneer engineers moved to Panasonic. And the disappointment when Panasonic decided to stop making plasma TVs. There's a reason why these TVs are up in price... but it's more so nostalgia. I agree with you, it's NOT worth the price. If you want a plasma TV, get the Samsung 8500 for half the price. But I would also say that right now is a bad time to buy ANY expensive TV since the industry is in-between technologies. What TV channels feed 4k? I would wait if you're in that price range. Prices are going to drop quite fast.
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Hi! I have been reading up on both tv's and it looks like the panasonic V10 is by far the best of the both. I just purchased the sammy b860 and also trying to find a good deal with the panny V10 (since it cost more). Both tv's can display the 24p at 96hz(24hzx4=96hz), so since the panny G10 can only do the 24p at 48hz(ficker problem). That's why tto me the sammy B860 is bump to second best, but this sammy has a buzzing sound if you live high above sea level. Remember this is just my opinion. hope this help someone......:)
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I'd have to disagree with rebel 116 there. Not so much about the dwindling worth of the $ (although actually has been somewhat rising in the past couple of weeks), but about whether to wait or not. My advice would be to wait. I recently read a study report that says the prices of HDTV's, blu-ray players and the like will be dropping like a stone as the holidays get closer. And actually, I've already seen some of this price drop. I've been planning on buying the Sony BDP-s350 blu-ray player, since it's pretty much the highest rated VS price value BR player out right now. (I've been watching it at theNerds.com, sorry Amazon, but they have the cheapest price) The price has dropped almost $80 since I last checked it! (Now only $243) These trends are predicted to continue through the holidays into early next year, so I'd wait for that bonus and get one awesome TV and maybe have some $ left over in the bargain!